Judy’s POV
The chatter from the dining hall faded the further we walked. Leaving Gavin behind was difficult, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious as to what secrets his manor held. This whole place was like an urban legend to most, so being here piqued my interest more than anything.
Esme, the grandmother, had recently come to me in my dreams. She kept staring at me throughout the dinner, and she spoke no words. Apparently, she hadn’t spoken in years, and yet she spoke to me in my sleep. I knew without a doubt that it wasn’t just a dream, but I wasn’t entirely sure how to explain this to Gavin.
I knew whatever was happening, whatever it meant, I would find the answers somewhere in this manor.
“You carry yourself well, my dear,” Selen’s voice, low and smooth, brought me out of my head and into the present moment. “Mot would tremble under so many eyes. But not you.”
I forced a smile.
“I’ve faced worse.”
Her lips curved.
She was very beautiful, more so than her pictures. It was almost intimidating to look at her. I felt like I should bow or curtsy in her presence. I dismissed the thought because it’s not like she was royalty or anything. Even if that were the case, Gavin held more power than the Blackwell family, despite the literal power in the Blackwell blood.
Her expression grew thoughtful for a moment.
“You seem almost familiar,” she suddenly said. “Like a name I should remember, but it’s just beyond reach.”
Something in me stirred—not my wolf, not the mate bond, but something older, stranger. It was the same pull I had felt when Esme’s pale eyes refused to leave me. It was as though threads I couldn’t see tightened around my ribs, binding me closer to this family… to this manor.
“Perhaps we met in another life,” I tried to joke, though the words fell flat on my lips.
Selene’s fingers grazed my arm, deliberately.
“Perhaps,” she murmured, her smile never fading, but her eyes glowed with something sharper than fondness. “Blood remembers, even when the mind does not.”
I held her gaze for what felt like an eternity; a familiarity in them that not only called to me, but my wolf as well. I opened my mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Lila, who appeared around the corner, wheeling Esme.

“You’ll get used to her staring,” she said lightly. “Grandma doesn’t blink much anymore. It’s unnerving if you’re not family.”
Selene’s gaze softened as she turned to her daughter.
“How about you take Esme to the patio for some fresh air?” she suggested. “It’s not good for her to be cooped up inside all day.”
“Of course, Mother,” Lila said with a smile of her own. “It’s truly good to be home again. I’ve missed you dearly.”
Lila pecked her mother on the cheek before she turned and walked off, wheeling Esme away as well.
I couldn’t seem to pull my gaze away, my heart thrumming violently in my chest.
“Are you all right?” Selene asked, drawing my attention back to her.
“Yeah, sorry,” I said, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. “Esme… she’s Zachary’s mother?”

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